The oldest stupa in India, and possibly in the world, construction of the Great Stupa at Sanchi was decreed and overseen by Ashoka the Great (268-232 BCE). It stands 54 feet (17 meters) high and 120 feet (37 meters) wide with a spire (yashti) at the top of the dome (known as the anda) surrounded by a railing (harmika). The stupa is enclosed by a wall with four gates (toranas) corresponding to the cardinal points and four central events in the Buddha’s life (birth, enlightenment, first sermon, death/nirvana).
Related Images
Sanchi Stupa
The Great Stupa at Sanchi
Mauryan and Pre-Mauryan soldiers from the Sanchi Stupa
Ashoka Visiting the Deer Park, Sanchi Stupa
Miracle at Kapilavastu, Sanchi Stupa, Northern Gateway
Buddha Image, Stupa 1, Sanchi
Cite This Work
APA Style
Kirkby, A. (2020, September 03). Sanchi Stupa Gate. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12651/sanchi-stupa-gate/
Chicago Style
Kirkby, Andrea. "Sanchi Stupa Gate." World History Encyclopedia, September 03, 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12651/sanchi-stupa-gate/.
MLA Style
Kirkby, Andrea. "Sanchi Stupa Gate." World History Encyclopedia, 03 Sep 2020, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12651/sanchi-stupa-gate/.
